Out of Line
by KiKiCohen
Summary: A shooting at a fancy party leaves three of our loved ones fighting for their lives and the others fighting to solve the mystery.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The only thing related to the OC that I own is a box-set of DVDs.**

**A/N: This really just came into my head while doing my summer reading so here I am giving you a new, Kirsten-centric (of course), fic. **

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The bullet was heard by almost all of Newport. The chatter and the laughter of the party came to a stand-still when the bullets were fired from somewhere towards the beach. It was in a split-second after the piercing noise filled the air that two bullets sank deep into Kirsten Cohen's skin.

She had been enjoying the party at her father's house, chatting with Julie Cooper when the bullets were fired.

She now looked puzzled with a shocked expression on her face. It took her a few seconds before her knees began to give out on her. She was shaking, the pain almost numbing. She wasn't focused on the pain; she was focused on her husband who was crouched on the ground with the rest of the guests. Her knees finally gave.

On the ground she began to slowly faint away, she was hoping not to her end.

Now she had a bullet only a few centimeters above her heart and one in her hip.

She could hear the shots around her being fired and the screaming of the other guests but her world was going black. She could hear Julie Cooper screaming her name and putting pressure on her wounds.

She then heard the most angelic sounding words she could have. Sandy was clutched next to her, hand in hand. Shots were still sporadically being fired from different angles. She tried to move her arm to motion him to get lower but her arm wouldn't budge. She wanted to scream but she didn't have the voice.

It was then that she heard, above all the din, something terrifying.

Ryan had been laughing with Seth and Luke, who was back visiting Newport. The three had been caught up in a talk about video games and what their high-scores had been when stabbing ninjas and what-not. The first two shots were fired and the scream from the other side of the party told them that a woman had been hit. More shots were fired as Ryan screamed for everyone to get down. As he was ducking down himself a bullet lodged itself in his leg.

He couldn't believe that he had been hit. He fell back on his butt after the shot and grabbed his leg. Luke took off his jacket and put pressure on the wounds. He listened as shots were fired all around him. He looked nervous as one tear escaped his eyes. He was getting dizzy from the loss of blood; he looked around and saw his one blood on the ground. In a moment, he passed out.

"DAD!" Seth screamed from across the patio, "RYAN'S BEEN HIT!"

Kirsten's world was now completely black as she faded into her dreams.

Summer had been talking to Marissa, talking about how lame the party was. She was trying to convince Marissa that the party wasn't lame at all. It was just made for old people. The two's laughter had immediately stopped when the first bullets were fired. The awful crack of the gun caused Summer to let out a little squeal and cover her ears. She couldn't hear the squeal of Kirsten going down. The two ducked and Summer faced the house, not the beach. More shots were fired and the party was crazy. Suddenly Summer felt something sink into her shoulder. She didn't scream she just gave Marissa a look.

She never suspected that she would be hit. She clutched Marissa's hand as Marissa called out in a panic. Summer could feel hot tears streaming down her face. Marissa didn't know what to do. She knew that blood was covering both of them. Summer lay on her stomach and watched as the world started to come to her from another dimension.

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The normally calm hospital was bustling with activity after word of the shooting had spread across town.

Seth and Sandy Cohen sprinted through the hospital doors and into the crazy waiting room. Most people in the waiting room were wearing fancy clothing and sitting nervously. How they had beaten them to the hospital puzzled Sandy, but he didn't worry about it.

Sandy walked up to the main desk, asking about information on Kirsten or Ryan, "Hi, my name is Sandy Cohen, I was wondering if you knew the conditions of my son Ryan Atwood or my wife Kirsten Cohen?"

The nurse had bleach blonde hair and was smacking a piece of gum. When she popped the gum, Sandy thought of the movie Chicago that he and Kirsten had been watching just the night before, "Was she involved in the shooting?" The nurse asked uninterestedly. Sandy really just wanted to reach out and shake her and tell her that she was not being very professional.

"Um…yes she was," he told her, looking down at his feet. The shiny black shoes didn't help ease his racing mind.

"Then no," the nurse suddenly gave him an unexpected smile, "None of the victims conditions have been released yet." Sandy politely thanked the nurse and walked back to where his son was sitting and biting his fingernails while Julie Cooper scolded him,

"You know that's really bad for your cuticles!"

"Julie," Sandy began, worried about his father-in-law, "Where's Caleb?" She lifted her head and looked at Sandy as if she was confused.

"He's working things out with the police…" she rolled her eyes, "Even if a bullet had gotten near him he's like, invincible." Sandy sat down next to Seth and took his hand; Seth looked at him funny and finally just wrapped his arms around his dad and let a tear trickle down his cheek.

"Dad?" he asked hoarsely as if he was afraid to speak too loud, "What exactly happened to mom, where'd she get hit?"

He hesitated for a moment and then answered, "In the hip and right above the heart, what about Ryan?"

Seth gulped and answered, "Right in the lower leg." The two held on to each other for a moment until they noticed a distressed Marissa run into the waiting room.

"Marissa?" Seth called out, "What's wrong?" Seth's legs suddenly froze. Her mom was in here, her dad was in Hawaii, her boyfriend was already in the ER and…what about Summer?

"Summer…" Marissa began as Seth squeezed his father's hand tightly, "she got hit."

Seth felt his tears starting to flow down his cheeks; his mother, brother, and girlfriend were all fighting for their lives.

"Where was she shot?" Seth asked quietly, staring at her with deep, sad eyes.

"Her shoulder," Marissa told her, "I think she'll be OK…hopefully." Then Marissa froze. She remembered the rest of the Cohen's, "Where is Kirsten, what about Ryan?"

Seth and his dad exchanged glances, "They both were hit." Marissa took a step and sat next to her mom. She felt her tears glazing her cheeks and falling onto her mom's arm. She curled up and set her head on her shoulder. She looked around at all the other fancy dresses, wondering who else could have possibly been hit. She and Seth exchanged looks and both curled up next to their parents.

She was jealous at how close Seth could curl to his father, how great a connection they had. Marissa rested her head in her hands and prayed for the mother, brother, boyfriend, girlfriend, and best friend that were fighting behind the two doors that said, _Authorized Personnel Only. _

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**A/N: I thought that was one of my better pieces. Review please because I love you.**

**This chapter is dedicated to OClover1 because I like her. She's nice and my LJ buddy.**

**The story is dedicated to Kandy4eva because she's my best reviewer…**

**Chapter 2: We find out what's wrong with them…**


	2. Finding Out

**Disclaimer: The only thing related to the OC that I own is a box-set of DVDs.**

**A/N: This really just came into my head while doing my summer reading so here I am giving you a new, Kirsten-centric (of course), fic. **

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Sandy was half-asleep when the nurse called to him from the window. Julie reached over and smacked his stomach so he would wake up. He jerked up causing Seth's head to fall and hit the armrest.

_I am such a sucker, _

_and I'm always the last to know. _

_My insides are copper, _

_I'd kill to make them gold. _

"What?" Sandy asked, looking around confused.

"The nurse was calling you," Julie gave him a look that basically said 'duh'. Marissa looked at her mom and rolled her eyes. She could hardly believe that her mom could still be a witch through all of this.

Sandy suddenly stood up and realized that if the nurse was calling, he had to go to her. He walked up to the nurse's station with a sleepy Seth in tow.

"Hello again Mr. Cohen," the nurse that he had hated said, "The doctor wants to talk to you in your son's room. It's room 108." He nodded and almost started running. Seth caught his hand first as they walked rapidly towards room 108. The sight in the room wasn't as bad as Sandy expected. Ryan was sitting up and reading a magazine. His legs were covered with blankets.

"Hey man!" Seth tried to hide his enthusiasm but it was impossible. Ryan looked up and grinned.

"Hey kid, how ya doin'?" Sandy asked, walking over and pulling a chair up to the bed.

"Hey guys," Ryan smiled, "How are…" Suddenly his face dropped and he looked towards the door.

"What's wrong?" Seth asked worriedly, hoping nothing was happening to Ryan.

"Where's Kirsten?" he slowly and cautiously asked as Seth and Sandy looked at each other with timid faces.

_Conversation got me here: _

_Another night alone in the city, _

_So make my bed the grave _

_and shovel dirt onto my sheets. _

"She got hit too," Sandy explained, gripping Ryan's hand, "We haven't heard from her doctor yet." Ryan looked down at his magazine and then focused his attention to the IV in his hand. He was worried.

"Where did…she get hit?" he asked, hoping that they felt comfortable talking about it.

"Umm…in the hip-pelvis area and one right above or near her heart," Sandy looked at the kid whose glare had changed and gave him an icy stare.

"What about the rest of the gang? The girls?" he looked at Seth who had his eyes focused on his chucks.

"Summer was hit in the shoulder but we haven't heard about her, Marissa is out in the waiting room with her mom," Seth finally looked up into Ryan's eyes, which seemed lost.

"Could I see Marissa?'' he asked hopefully, changing his glare to a puppy dog stare.

"Sure kid, Seth will you go get Marissa?" Sandy didn't ask, he commanded. He watched as Seth walked out of the room and focused back onto Ryan. As Seth left he dared ask the question he had been wondering, "How's you leg?"

Ryan shrugged, "It hurts, but it was only a flesh wound. Nothing some stitches, gauze, and surgical tape can't fix." Ryan didn't even realize that he was shaking. Since that first day that he walked into the Cohen house and was greeted by an antsy Kirsten, their relationship had bloomed. He was also worried about Summer. She was one of his best friends, but a shoulder wound sounded better than all the pain that Kirsten would go through.

"_Come back here bitch," Gavin, Dawn's boyfriend called to her as she hurried out the front door. Ryan was just coming back from a day in his 5th grade class at West Chino Elementary and he was excited to show her the A he had gotten on his test. He watched as his mom stormed by him. _

_He walked into the house and noticed broken glass all over the floor. There was also spilled vodka. The couch was turned over and the lamp was sideways. Ryan attempted to pull the couch back into place and upturned the lamp. He then preceded to follow his mom and Gavin._

_He saw Trey coming in the door was ignored him, worried about his mom. These were the days before his mom's drinking problems came into full bloom. This was also about a month after his dad had been arrested. _

_Ryan looked down the sidewalk left and right but he heard the gunshot from his house. He ran in the direction of the shot and found his mom on the ground._

_Three weeks later his mom was resting on the couch with a bottle of whiskey. Things were never the same anymore. He was always waiting on his mom and being scolded for everything. His mom even took swings at him a couple of times. More than once he had felt the pain of a beer bottle being thrown in his face._

"Something bothering you kid?" Sandy asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I was just thinking of when my mom's problems came into full bloom," Ryan sighed, "It had to do with a gunshot that almost ended her life." Sandy looked over at the kid and squeezed his shoulder. He knew that Ryan was praying that this didn't happen to Kirsten.

_Every friend we ever had in common; _

_I will sever the tie with you. _

_You can thank your lucky stars _

_that everything I wish for _

_will never come true. _

_When you go I will forget everything about you. _

"Kid, I know what you're thinking, but Kirsten has a wonderful family and I'm sure she'll be OK," it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.

They heard a knock from the door and both turned. Marissa was standing in the doorway. She looked beautiful since she was still in her attire from the party.

"Hey," Ryan smiled at her, patting down the side of his bed for her, "Where's Seth?"

"He went to go see Summer," she smiled back. Tears started rushing to her eyes. She was so happy to see Ryan sitting up and talking to her. She was worried that he would be gone.

"How is Summer?" Sandy asked her with concern on his face.

"She'll be OK eventually," Marissa shrugged, "she's really cranky."

"I think I'll go see her, what room is she in?" Sandy asked, hugging Ryan.

"125," Marissa responded, "She said she would love all the company she could get." Marissa put her arms around Ryan's neck and buried her head in his chest. She couldn't smell his normal scent, just the smell of hospital, or cleanliness.

"I'm sorry about everything," she told him, whispering in his ear, "I love you."

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Seth walked into Summer's room and saw his girlfriend lying on her stomach. She was reading a book on her pillow and didn't look up when he walked in the room.

"Hey," he waved from his spot at the door. Her head popped up and her eyes lit up.

"Hey yourself," she smiled, "Come sit down." He walked over and tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. He grinned and leaned in to kiss her.

"Ryan sends his regards, I think," Seth grinned again. She gave him an odd look.

"Where is Ryan?" she asked, her face drooping, "Is he OK?"

"He'll be fine," Seth explained, "he got shot in the leg, but luckily it was just a flesh wound."

"What about your parents? Are they with Ryan?" she demanded, wishing she could sit up. At the moment moving was pretty much out of the question.

"My dad is fine," he slowed down, "my mom…isn't." Summer's mouth opened but no words came out.

"What happened to her?" Summer wiggled around and pulled the IV stand closer to her.

"Umm…she got a bullet right above the heart and in the hip-pelvis area," he looked at his chucks and pulled his knees up to his chest. Sighing, he buried his head in between his knees.

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As Sandy walked out of Ryan's room, a middle-aged doctor stopped him.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Lee, I'm taking care of your wife," Sandy stopped in his tracks and looked at the doctor; he could see Ryan straining to hear what the doctor had to say.

"How is she?" he asked anxiously, putting his hand on the wall.

"She crashed three times on the way over here but we were able to revive her, she is stable now and just out of surgery, she's resting in her room. I've gotta warn you, she has a long road ahead of her but my guess is that she'll end up making a full recovery," the doctor let the information sink in before he continued, "The bullet was dangerously close to her heart and it caused her heartbeat to go berserk. She had some internal bleeding and her hip bone is cracked from the force of the bullet."

Sandy looked at the doctor with wide eyes, "Wow." He didn't know what to do so he asked, "Can I see her?"

_I've seen shinking ships go down with more grace than you. _

_Turn this up, I'll tune you out. _

_Another night alone in the city. _

_You fake it like you matter, _

thats a lie we can both keep.

"I suppose," he shrugged, "She's pretty drugged up and I doubt she's awake." Sandy grinned and headed off towards Summer's room. He yelled back, "What room is she in?"

The doctor chuckled and yelled back, "ICU, 110."

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**A/N: There ya go. Chapter 2. **


	3. Waking Up

**Disclaimer: The only thing related to the OC that I own is a box-set of DVDs.**

**A/N: Severe thunderstorms overhead, and the cables out…on TEEN CHOICE AWARD NIGHT! Gawh, could you HAVE worse timing. The worst part is not being able to get online to see all you beautiful people's fics. **

**BTW: I have an lj/aim: fldhckygoali35…feel free to add/comment/etc or talk to me via AIM…I love people. **

**At least I saw the Teen Choice Award part when Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson got their awards. That made me uber happy even though I can't watch the rest or get on the internet. This sucks, but at least since I have nothing better to do on a stormy evening…writing time. **

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Sandy sprinted into Summer's room and saw Seth and Summer cuddling on the bed.

"Hey Mr. C!" Summer greeted him cheerfully. Despite her heavily bandaged arm she was happy to see him.

"Hi Summer," he smiled, "Seth, I just found out about your mother." Both of the teenagers looked up at him, their eyes begging for answers. Summer grasped Seth's hand with her good hand as he looked at his dad anxiously.

"So…" Seth looked at him, "what'd the doctor say?"

"Well," Sandy began as Seth gripped onto Summer, "They finally stabilized her, she's just out of surgery, one of the bullets came really close to her heart and caused her heartbeat to go AWOL. So anyways, she had some internal bleeding and also they had to remove some of her stomach. With her leg, her hip bone was fractured and she'll have to wear a cast for a while. She's really weak right now but the doctor thinks she'll make a full recovery." Seth hopped off Summer's bed and walked over to give his father a hug.

"Wow," Summer looked at the two, "That's just…wow."

"Well Seth, do you want to go see her?" Sandy asked. Seth looked over at Summer.

"You'll be OK on your own?" he asked her.

"I'll be fine, anyways my dad is faxing over the papers to release me right now, so what room is she in?" Summer asked, "My dad's out of town for like, a month."

"Well then you'll definitely be bunking at the Cohen house," Seth told her.

"She's in room 110 in the ICU and yes, you will be bunking with us, if they ask if you are family just say that you are her daughter and we'll cover for you," Sandy told her. Summer grinned.

Sandy and Seth hurried out of the room, waving good-bye to Summer. First they stopped in Ryan's room to see how he was doing.

"Hey kid," Sandy began, but Ryan cut him off.

"Can you wait for the doctor? He says it's probably safe for me to be discharged now," Ryan looked up at Sandy, "It was just a small flesh wound."

"Sure kid, but when he comes, we have to go see Kirsten," at the sound of the word Kirsten Ryan popped up and looked at Sandy.

"How is she?" he asked, crossing his fingers.

"Not great," he admitted, "She's going to have a heck of a long road to complete recovery. But eventually she'll make full recovery." He stopped as the doctor walked him.

"Hello Mr. Cohen," the doctor shook hands with the man, "I need to check Ryan's wound but then we can discharge him."

"Ok," Sandy gave the doctor a fake smile.

The doctor poked and prodded at Ryan's leg and handed a clipboard to Sandy to sign. He signed his name and helped Ryan out of the hospital bed.

"Are you ready?" Sandy asked him, watching as Seth hovered by the door.

"Yep," Ryan grabbed the bag that Seth had brought him normal clothes in that now held his toiletries. The three took off towards the ICU. Sandy stood in between the limping Ryan and his other son; he put his arms around both.

As they entered the ICU they noticed a noticeable change in color on the walls. They went from bright colors to dreary white. I guess no one in the ICU cares about the colors of the walls. Some of them will never even see the walls again.

As they started towards the rooms they were stopped by a nurse. She didn't have the same zing that the nurse from the normal hospital had. Her face was pale and her scrubs were plain blue.

"Excuse me," she called towards the boys as they all turned around to face reality.

"Yes?" Sandy asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets and taking a deep breath.

"You have to sign in if you are visiting someone in the ICU, and also one of our hospital policies is that you can only go in one at a time," the nurse told him. She didn't give Sandy a special vibe through her tone of voice. He grabbed the clipboard from the nurse and signed in.

The nurse sighed. It was so depressing to see families of ICU patients come through. They all looked like death had already struck and they all walked with the same drag in their steps. She gave Sandy a smile and a wink of reassurance, "The two that don't go in first have to stay here in the ICU family area." The three boys looked at each other.

"Dad, you go first so if it's something you don't think I can handle you can tell me," Seth suggested. He was never so calm and serious. The usual sarcasm that dripped off his lips like saliva was lost. He leaned back in the seat and tapped his feet together.

Sandy took off towards Kirsten's room, scared that he wouldn't even recognize his wife. As he walked he saw Julie, Marissa, Caleb, and Summer all coming up into the ICU area. They didn't have their normal happy vibe on them. The nurse and the other people in the waiting room looked up at the people and gave a half-smile. The four quietly sat down next to Seth and Ryan and Caleb was the first to speak up; "How is she?"

"Not great," Seth told him, "But getting there." The four others quieted and Marissa, Seth, Ryan, and Summer adjusted themselves so they were next to their significant others. They watched as people passed.

One especially sad time was when a mother and a daughter, African-Americans, walked by with tears in their eyes. Suddenly, right in front of Seth and Ryan, the girl had broken down on the floor. A doctor walked over and rushed the two away. Seth hated being in the ICU, waiting and waiting.

Sandy walked into Kirsten's room and instantly stopped. His normally glowing and laughing wife was hooked up to various machines and had a tube running down her throat and into her nose. Her whole body was covered by a blanket and two IVs were running into her left arm. Someone had pulled her hair into a ponytail. He walked to the chair by the bed.

"Hi honey," he whispered, shifting uncomfortably, "I guess you probably aren't going to respond, so I'll babble to you. I love you honey. I can't believe what happened yesterday. It was crazy, people in the Newport community being used as target practice. But what I never would want to happen is to see my baby take two bullets. The boys can't wait to get in here and see you, so I'll keep this short. I love you baby, and I hope you are OK. I want you to know that no matter how much pain you are in and how much care you need, it's worth it. I mean, not like that. It's worth the money, the time, the effort, because we want to see you better. We want to see the Kirsten Cohen we all know and love. Hopefully you won't change much though. Ryan's coming next so, I love you honey. A lot. A lot a lot. I hope to talk to you and not talk AT you soon."

Sandy silently kissed his wife on the cheek and walked back into the waiting area. He gulped and sat down in one of the chairs next to Julie.

"Ryan, you go next," Seth told him as Ryan got up and walked towards the room.

Julie rubbed Sandy's hand, "You know, I was standing there when it happened. I don't think I have ever been so scared in my whole entire life. We were talking about the Newport Group. She was just standing there talking to me and the next moment her eyes grew wide as she heard the shots. Before they hit anyone she looked around to see what happened but what she didn't expect was for them to land in her. She just looked straight ahead at me with her big eyes. I suddenly froze. I usually would freak out in a situation like that but I just froze Sandy. When she went down on her knees in agony I leaned down, screaming her name and freaking out. Then I called you." Julie stopped as one sweat bead dripped down her face and landed on her shoulder.

Ryan stepped into the room uncomfortably. He looked at Kirsten, lying on the bed. He hated seeing IVs. There was something about them that made him want to scream. He also saw the oxygen tubes going into her nose and throat. He gulped as he made his way to the chair that he could tell Sandy had been sitting in. He pulled it out and took Kirsten's hand in his.

"Um, hi Kirsten, how are you?" he began, shaking, "I…uh guess there is an obvious answer to that question. You know I'm not a good talker but I'll try. So, yeah, I took a bullet too but it was just a flesh wound and trust me, I would trade with you in a second. I love you Kirsten, so stay strong for us. Seth and Sandy really need you. They can barely stand up without you. So I guess I'll be back soon. I love you a lot Kirsten, or should I say mom." Ryan gently let go of her hand and sat for a moment before getting up and leaving the room. He looked back and felt one tear fall down his cheek.

"Hey guys," Ryan greeted them, walking back and sitting down next to Sandy. Seth hopped up and slowly started walking towards the room. He looked back and gave a weak smile to his family.

Seth pushed open the door and froze almost instantly. It made him sad to see his mom look so weak. He gasped at the tube going down her throat. He wanted to cry.

He took her hand and sat down next to her. Before he even had the chance to say anything, he felt his mom squeeze his hand. She wasn't squeezing lightly either. She was cutting off his circulation.

"Mom?" he called to her, "mom?"

She could hear someone calling her in the distance. She could see light, even if there was a blur. She squeezed the hand in hers to let them know that she was awake. She suddenly opened her eyes but they instantly fluttered to the top of her eye sockets.

"Mom!" Seth sounded ecstatic. She was confused. She didn't know where she was and she was disoriented. As her vision started coming back she saw an IV running into her arm and noticed a tube going into her throat. She began gasping for air and suddenly pain filled her body.

Seth instantly pushed the call button and within seconds there were nurses filling the room.

"Mom, I'm going to find dad, I'll be back in one second," he promised her, rushing out of the room.

She moaned as the nurses checked on her. She suddenly remembered.

Seth ran out to his dad and panted, "DAD! She woke up!" Sandy and Ryan exchanged glances as they hopped up.

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**A/N: Wahoo! This chapter is done! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review….i got like 1000 hits on the first chapter and a couple reviews…but whateves! Love love.**


	4. Feeling Pain

**Disclaimer: The only thing related to the OC that I own is a box-set of DVDs actually now two that I ordered the second season.**

**A/N: Ick, I'm sweaty from FH. Ick. Grotscky! Oooh and I volunteered at a museum today. Whoo hoo! And now, I'm getting ready for school tomorrow. It makes me want to write because when I do homework I write because we are a "laptop school". Ugh…. Actually I wrote that a few days ago and our fh team is 3-0! Whooo! So anyways, school is boring. Yeah. Later. **

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"Now Kirsten, we have a few tests to run," the doctor explained. She nodded and let the nurses surround her. They slowly moved her towards the side that her hip was injured.

"OUCH!" she screamed, trying to push away from the nurses. The doctor looked pleased and wrote something down on his clipboard. Kirsten felt tears rush to her eyes. She looked up at her family. She smiled as she made eye contact with Sandy. He walked closer to the bed and took her hand in his. Her eyes looked fearful and she tried to take a deep breath. It ended up shallow. She moaned.

Seth and Ryan stood back at a distance. They were scared to death for their mother who looked like she was in so much pain. They watched as their dad expertly stepped in and held her hand while she cried.

"So," she began, "Are all of you guys OK?" She suddenly remembered Seth shouting out in the air,

"_Ryan's been hit!" _

"Ryan!" she gasped, "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine," he blushed, "Just a flesh wound." She breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the pillows. Her face was pale and she looked hungry.

"Are you hungry sweetie?" Sandy squeezed her hand lightly as she looked over at him.

"I guess," she shrugged, "yeah." Sandy nodded and motioned the nurse that was hovering outside the door.

"She's really hungry, is there any way that we could get her some food?" he asked politely.

"I'm sorry; she has to stay on her IV for another day or two. When she had surgery a little bit of her stomach was removed and she can't eat yet without upsetting that area," the nurse explained. Sandy looked over at his wife and shrugged.

"How is everyone else?" she asked, "Like the girls, Julie, or my father?" Her eyes looked lost and they also begged for answers.

"They are all OK," Sandy started, "Summer was hit in the shoulder and she'll have to wear a cast for a while. She is staying with us too because her father is at a month-long convention and he can't come home. She was afraid to stay with Marissa."

"Can I see the others?" she begged. She really wanted to see everyone and clarify that they were OK and that Sandy wasn't just trying to save her extra stress.

"I suppose," he told her, "I want you to get some rest though. I don't like seeing you in the hospital." With that he gave her a kiss on the forehead and continued out the door.

Seth and Ryan made their way towards the bed once their father left the room. Kirsten gave them both a warm smile and motioned for them to take the two seats next to the bed.

"How are you guys?" she asked weakly. Seth reached over and held his hand over her chest wound. He could feel the heat radiating off of it. She lifted down the blue gown and showed that beneath the bandage bruises were all over her chest. She touched the tubes that were helping her breathe and sighed.

"We're fine," Seth answered, "But the real question is how you are?"

"I'm sore," she told them, "Morphine is my friend at the moment." The boys chuckled uncomfortably. They looked towards the door and saw their dad, Marissa, Summer, Julie and Caleb. The group completely filled up the door and Seth and Ryan took it as a queue to exit.

"Hey guys," Kirsten smiled towards the group. She was so happy to see them.

"Kiki," Caleb walked over and gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek, "how are you? Are they treating you OK?"

"I'm fine dad," she told him, "just sore."

"Hi Mrs. Cohen," Summer stepped up, cradling her arm in the sling. The sling had a part that wrapped around her waist so she couldn't move her arm.

"Oh hi sweetie," she looked sympathetically towards her, "How is your arm?"

"Its fine," Summer smiled appreciatively, "how is your leg?"

"Sore, I'm on a lot of morphine," she joked, "But I'll be OK eventually."

"Oh Kiks!" Julie called out, "How are you holding up?"

"I just answered that question like three times!" Kirsten rolled her eyes, "But as I've said three other times, I'll be fine!" Julie gave her a sorrowful smile and backed away.

"So has anyone been arrested yet?" Kirsten asked hopefully. She really hoped that the person that was responsible for endangering her family got a nice, juicy, sentence.

"No, and there haven't been any leads," Sandy told her. She lowered her head as she heard this and leant back on her pillows. She yawned.

"Well, Seth, Ryan, I think its time for you guys to go home and get some rest," he said, "and Summer, get her acclimated. I'll if anything important happens but otherwise you guys need to get some rest."

"I agree," Kirsten said sleepily, reaching out her arm for them. They walked over and all three gave her kisses on the cheek.

"Do you guys have a ride?" Caleb asked them, knowing this was his queue to leave, "I can take you."

"Can you?" Ryan asked politely, "Thanks." He grumbled back towards Ryan.

"Sleep well mom," Seth called out as he left the room.

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Seth, Summer, and Ryan all walked into the big empty house. Somewhere in the pit of his stomach Seth was afraid to be alone without his parents. Summer followed him inside with her good arm around Ryan's waist because he had noticed that her vertigo was off. He handed her bag to Seth.

"Can you take her stuff up to where she is staying and we'll choose a DVD?" Ryan suggested.

"I'm not so good with manual…" Seth began.

"Oh Cohen, just do it!" Summer sounded annoyed.

Seth made it blatantly obvious that he was unhappy by tramping up the stairs. Summer just stood back and laughed.

"How's your arm?" Ryan asked her.

"Pretty painful, but not nearly as bad as it was earlier," she told him. They watched as Seth scurried back down the stairs.

As the three got comfortable on the couch, they heard a loud noise coming from the beach. A bullet soared through the glass doors in the kitchen.

"DUCK!" Ryan yelled as Seth and Summer jumped onto the floor. They could hear more bullets being sprayed as Seth grabbed his phone.

"911 please state your emergency," the operator answered.

"I like in Harbor Heights," Seth began, "and someone is shooting at my house."

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**A/N: Chapter 4: complete! See ya later! Next chapter…we'll see!**


	5. Bad News

**Disclaimer: The only thing related to the OC that I own is a box-set of DVDs actually now two that I ordered the second season.**

**A/N: PRAY FOR THE HURRICANE KATRINA VICTIMS omg that storm is sooo sad! I can't stop watching news coverage. Amay…I didn't know you well but I know that you live(d) in New Orleans…so I'm keeping you in my thoughts. 3 3 to all. Hope you are having a good day.**

**EDIT Caleb is dead. I know that I said that he was alive earlier but pretend that that was Jimmy OK? OK. Or at least Caleb is alive and Jimmy is here and it is in present times. Its pretty much AU.**

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Seth, Summer, and Ryan all sat panting on the floor. They looked at each other and Seth put his knees into his chest. Someone was really out to get someone in Newport. None of the kids could think of any words to come to their mouths.

"I should call my dad," Seth looked at the two, he started to stand up but Ryan forced him back down.

"Just wait until the cops come," Ryan reassured him. Seth looked between Ryan and Summer with a rabid look in his eyes. Suddenly they heard the front door burst open and they all looked over and saw the cops. They slowed down when they saw the three scared teenagers on the floor. The girl had tears streaming down his face and the two boys were pale.

"Who lives here?" the policeman pressed on the group. Seth and Ryan both slowly raised their hands.

"Where are your parents?" the policeman asked again as the rest of the policemen surveyed the damage and two headed towards the beach.

"Umm…well you know that shooting like two days ago that was at the Nichol mansion?" Seth asked shakily, "well my mom was shot…twice. She's in the hospital and we came back to clean up and stuff because them two…" he motioned to Summer and Ryan, "Got released from the hospital and Summer is staying with us for a couple weeks so she needed to get settled in."

"Have you called your father yet?" the policeman asked.

"No, I was about to when you guys burst in," Seth told him. He noticed that he was still in the same position that he had been in when the shots had fired through the window. He tried to stand up but he was shaking. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell-phone and pressed speed-dial number 3.

"Hello?" Sandy answered the phone, recognizing his son's cell-phone number.

"Dad?" Seth's voice was quavering.

"Are you OK? What happened?" Sandy stepped out of Kirsten's room as she stared at him.

"No, well yes, someone started shooting at the house," Seth was in tears.

"Holy Moses," Sandy quieted down, "Is everyone OK?"

"Everyone is fine, the police are here, but we're all shaking a lot," Seth told him, "Can you come and take us to the hospital? I don't want to be here right now."

"I'll be there in ten minutes tops. I love you," Sandy dared.

"I love you too dad," Seth started crying as he pressed the red "end" button on his phone. Summer and Ryan looked at him as he stood up.

"He's coming home," Seth told them as he started walking towards the kitchen.

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"What was that about?" Kirsten asked Sandy as he came back into the room with a scared expression on his face.

"Umm…" Sandy knew he couldn't lie to his wife about this one, "Someone was shooting…at our house." Kirsten got rigid, "I need to get home. I love you." He hurried out the room as Kirsten watched him run. She sighed and leaned back against the pillows.

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Sandy rushed into the house to find the three kids on the couch. He had a flustered look on his face, "Are you guys OK?" They all nodded.

"We'll be fine," Summer stood up, "But I won't unless I get some pain medication." She headed towards the kitchen where her bag of prescription medicine was.

"Can we just get out of here?" Seth asked, "Go to the hospital and sit with mom? I'm kind of scared here."

"You can't be scared at your own home, that's bad. Ryan, you sleep inside on the floor of Seth's room. Summer has one guest bedroom and the other is too junky to clean up. We'll now have tight security on the beach and the front gate guards will be more careful," Sandy told them. The boys sighed and stood up.

"I promised mom I'd get her Burberry robe," Seth told him monotonously, "I'll grab it and we can leave…"

Seth headed towards the bedroom. Everything had gone from perfect to screwed up. His two favorite women were both hurting due to some maniac. He sighed for the millionth time that night and took a step into their bedroom. He found the robe and found himself running back to the other part of his house. He knew that he would paranoid for weeks and months to come.

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The boys and Summer headed into Kirsten's hotel room where she was asleep with CNN on. More Katrina coverage was on. Seth started watching, probably trying to find himself in a world with problems greater than his. Ryan grabbed the remote and started flipping channels until he found himself on a local news station.

Coverage of the shooting at Caleb's was on the screen. Suddenly the words NEWS FLASH shot across the screen. Sandy looked at it intently.

"_Two more shootings at the Cohen household and at the Crab Shack leave one man dead. Jimmy Cooper was killed…" _

Sandy froze.

He looked around.

His eyes grew wide.

He could see that Seth's gaze was focused on him.

He sat on the edge of the bed, obviously waking Kirsten.

"I have to go make a phone call," Sandy announced, hurrying out of the room.

The three kids sat in silence. They couldn't believe what the news had just told them.

"What's going on?" she asked, "Did something major happen at the house or is this extremely loud silence for another reason?"

Sandy was out in the hall clarifying his death. A sobbing Julie had answered the phone and his questions were answered. He walked back into Kirsten's room.

"Someone tell me what the hell is going on," she demanded, noticing the paled look on Sandy's face.

"Kirsten, there isn't an easy way to say this," Sandy began. The three kids just stood back.

"What?" her voice was already quavering.

"It's about Jimmy Cooper," he began noticing her pale, "He's dead."

Kirsten eyes grew wide. Suddenly they were squeezed shut as she tried to get out of the bed. She felt pain wrack through her body. A series of sobs followed.

_Jimmy Cooper._

_He's dead._

_Dead is he._

_Is dead he._

_He dead is. _

_Jimmy Cooper is dead._

_My best friend is dead._

Kirsten closed her eyes and tried to fall back into her dreams.

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**CHAPTER 5 IS DONE! PROUD? YEAH!**


	6. Decisions

**Disclaimer: The only thing related to the OC that I own is a box-set of DVDs actually now two that I ordered the second season.**

**A/N: OK so Chapter 6 is hither. Good thing… This should be pretty much really dramatic because of how the last chapter ended. Last night was Halloween. I went to a party Friday and drove around last night. So here you go, happy late Halloween.**

**Well maybe not so much. I've been sporadically writing. Wow.**

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Kirsten felt tears fall down her face as she stared at the blank walls of her hospital room. The tears dribbled past her mouth and down her cheeks. Sandy watched from the doorway. He wanted to walk over and comfort his wife but he didn't think that it was possible. He finally got the courage to walk over to her and sat on the side of her bed.

He wiped one of her tears away and pushed her hair behind her cheek. He had to be careful because of the IV lines going in her hand. She suddenly reached out and threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into her neck. Sandy would have been jealous but he knew that Jimmy Cooper was her oldest friend. He was probably her best friend.

Ryan and Seth stood back in shock. They didn't know what to do. Sandy felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he took it as a chance to bolt out of the room.

"Hello?" Sandy answered shakily.

"Sandy?" he heard Julie Cooper's voice on the other end of the phone. It was obvious that she had been crying.

"Oh hi Julie, how are you?"

"I'm assuming you've heard by now and can answer that for yourself."

"That's true. I'm so sorry about everything. I'll stop by later to bring you some dinner."

"Thanks Sandy, but I was wondering…is there…is there any way that Kirsten could give the eulogy at the funeral?"

Sandy was shocked that Julie could talk about it so soon after the shooting. He assumed that it hadn't quite hit her yet. It was just a few hours since the shooting had happened and already Julie Cooper was planning the funeral.

"I'll have to talk to the doctor and Kirsten about that…I don't really know the answer," he told her truthfully, "I'll talk to the doctor first and then talk to Kirsten, and she's in pretty rough shape right now."

"Alright," Julie sniffed, "Call me back." With that the line went dead. Instead of walking back into the room to comfort his wife, he walked down the hallway and found a chair to sit in. He put his head in his hands as tears threatened to break through his eyes.

He heard someone approaching but didn't bother looking up to see who it was. What did it matter anyways? He looked up to see Kirsten's doctor standing over him.

"Sorry to bother you," the doctor began, "but your sons wouldn't let me in her room and I would possibly like to know what is going on."

Sandy looked up wearily at the doctor, "Kirsten's oldest friend was killed in another one of these sniper shootings. His wife…ex-wife…whatever they are…called and wants Kirsten to give the eulogy at the funeral. I know that she'll really want to but will she be able to?"

The doctor took a seat next to Sandy and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "With a wheelchair and an I.V. I think she would be able to go to the funeral without many difficulties. She won't have to use a wheelchair for much longer after she gets out of the hospital but with another surgery upcoming we have to keep her on the I.V."

"Thanks," Sandy told him, "Now all I have to do is ask Kirsten if she wants to, it will be hard on her."

"Let me know when she has decided," the doctor gave him the smallest hint of a smile, stood up and walked away.

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Kirsten lay on her side, looking towards the window. Sandy came over and gently sat down next to her.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey yourself," he replied, stroking her hair ever-so gently, "We need to talk." Kirsten gave him a glare and motioned for him to sit down.

"Yes?" she asked as a flame of pain soared through her hip. She flinched but when she opened her eyes there was no sign the flame even ever came through her.

"Julie wants you to give the eulogy," he began; he didn't know whether to start with what the doctor said.

Kirsten didn't say anything for a moment. Her eyes were distant. She looked up at Sandy and slowly nodded. She would do anything for her oldest friend.

"Are you sure you don't want to sleep on it?" Sandy brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Yes, he is my oldest friend and I owe it to him," she looked away from Sandy, "But the question is…do you want me to? You are acting a little bit strange."

"He is your oldest friend and I think it would have meant a lot to him," Sandy told her, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"Have I gotten the doctor's permission?" she asked tentatively, "I'm not exactly in the best shape."

"I talked to the doctor earlier and he said you'd have to have the I.V. stand with you and you would also have to be in a wheelchair. If you are willing to do that then you will be able to go," Sandy explained.

"I'll do whatever I have to do to give back to Jimmy," she whispered.

The door slowly opened and Seth popped in, causing his parent's to turn towards the door.

"Hey…Ryan and I…we just went to see Marissa," Seth began, watching Ryan pop in the door behind him.

"How was she?" Kirsten asked with a little more confidence.

"She was really upset…just like you would expect," Ryan told her.

Kirsten and Sandy both sighed as Seth and Ryan eased themselves onto the bed and into a family hug. They needed something to hold on to.

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**A/N: sorry it has been so long. Hopefully the new chapter will be soon.**


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